"Ryo, is are you sure this is the place?"
"Yes, Lihua, this is the place," snapped Ryo.
"I know I am not so bright," Mengyao interjects, "But I am going to have to go with my sister on this one. How can this be the place? All I see are burnt fields everywhere. Kang, what do you think?"
Kang presses his hand against the hill that he and his group are hiding behind.
In a low, cautious voice, "This could be it," he says.
"What do you mean, 'could be?'" exclaims a visibly annoyed Ahnah. "It's so dark I can't see anything. Ryo, if you just led us to the middle of nowhere, I, I, I'll break up with you!"
"Calm down," says Lihua. "Ryo is the best hacker in the five nations."
"Like, I know." She smiles at Ryo. "Oh, and don't you now mean four nations, brilliant leader?" Ahnah retorts. "No more airbenders."
"Duh, that's why we're here," Lihua reminds her. "We have to save the Avatar before..."
Ahnah cuts her off. "If he even exists."
"Be quiet, both of you," says Kang. "I feel movement underground. This is it."
"Well, if this is it, where's the front door, I'd like to know," remarks Mengyao.
"Leave that to me, brother."
Lihua takes the goggles from her head and places them over her eyes.
"Better look away everyone," Ahnah says as she braces. "I hate this part."
Lihua skillfully directs her lightning outward across the ground spanning 300 yards in either direction and at least three meters down. It's enough electricity to shortcircuit everything in in its range, including the holographics hiding the entrance ramp into the facility.
"Now they know we're here," says Ryo, his left eye glowing green. "I'm hacked into the Dominion's satnet. I can see the electronic markers for every D-mo in the place."
"D-mo?" Asks Mengyao?
"Oh, that's his new word for Dominion troops,," responds Ahnah.
"Goggles down, people. I'll transmit to your heads up display," Ryo says as he raises his left arm. Out of his forearm come a scope and barrel. "We've got five coming right for us... opening fire."
Energy beams blaze out of Ryo's cybernetic arm as he expertly aims and takes out the first guard. Gunshots ring out immediately as their position is compromised.
The team leaps into action, Lihua and Mengyao run, jump, and jet into the air forcing fire from their feet. Using their hands, they drop fire from the sky onto the heads of their enemy.
With one stomp of the ground Kang raises the earth below the feet of one attacker and send him into the sky. With a swing of his arm he sends rocks hurling into his chest, which launches him flying through the air, away from the battle.
Ahnah detects nearby water pipes and bursts them with her bending ability. She forces the water to swirl around the remaining enemies and then she freezes it, and then walks casually down the ramp to the gate, followed by Kang and Ryo. Lihua and Mengyao drop from the air just ahead of her. Lihua gracefully lands on both feet, with her right hand on the ground. Mengyao... not so much. Fortunately, his bottom broke most of the fall.
Lihua turns to Kang. "Can you bend it open?"
"No, the metal is too pure..."
Very well. Everyone guard our backs. Brother, let's melt through it."
"Wait. You didn't let me finish," Kang spoke up. "I don't have to. These idiots built it right into the surrounding rock."
Everyone steps back as Kang rips the giant metal gate from its foundation and suspends it in the air.
Gunfire suddenly come from within.
"Why didn't these guys show up on our HUDs, Ryo?" shouts Lihua.
Ryo awkwardly laughs. "Because I was building a 3D rendered map of the interior and I kind of sort of turned that off by accident?"
He smiles and looks at everyone. Lihua rolls her eyes. "Ahnah, do you think they like to swim?"
Ahnah grins, "Oh I don't know about that."
She lets a torrent of water lose. Kang releases the gate. Mengyao shots a lightning bolt down the corridor.
"I don't think they liked that either," he says satisfied with his work.
As they walk inside past the lifeless bodies Ryo gets a clearer picture of inner workings of the compound.
"It looks like there's more levels here than on the map I downloaded," he says holding up a holographic projection coming from his wrist. He points, "We are here, and there are three levels with over a dozen D-mo's each. And there could be more"
"We should clear each level one by one," Mengyao speaks up.
"No," says Lihua, "We haven't the time. There are three levels and five of us. We split up."
Kang nods his head in agreeance.
"Mengyao, Kang, clear this floor." Lihua orders. "Ahnah, Ryo, you take the second one."
"And the third?" Asks Ryo.
"Just leave that one to me," says a determined Lihua.
"She's going to get herself killed," quips Ahnah.
Ryo points at his map. "These are the most likely places on each floor where the Avatar could be held. We'll reinforce each other as we clear levels."
"You all know what I expect of you," Lihua says. "Our intel says the Avatar is here. With no more airbenders he could be killed at any minute. What are you waiting for?"
Mengyao and Kang take off running down the hall. The rest down the stairwell. Ryo and Ahnah split off at the second level.
"Good luck," says Ahnah as Lihua slips out of site.
"Same to you," she hears repeated back over her radio earpiece.